Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief took part in the grand opening of the Neechi Commons Community Business Complex in Winnipeg’s North End, which houses a neighbourhood supermarket, restaurant, bakery, Aboriginal arts centre, farmers' market, local produce stands and boutiques. (L to R: Winnipeg City Councillor Ross Eadie, Manitoba Metis Federation President, David Chartrand, Neechi Foods President Louise Champagne, Children and Youth Opportunities Minister Kevin Chief)

March 19, 2013

GRAND OPENING OF THE NEECHI COMMONS COMMUNITY BUSINESS COMPLEX IN WINNIPEG

Winnipeg, Manitoba— The Neechi Commons Community Business Complex in Winnipeg officially opened today during an all-day celebration.
This 50,000 square foot property in Winnipeg’s North End was transformed into a complex that includes a neighbourhood supermarket, a cafeteria-style restaurant, a produce courtyard that features local fruit and vegetables, a bakery, specialty boutiques, an Aboriginal arts centre, and a farmers’ market. It will also provide local employment and training opportunities in the community. In addition, the complex will be a catalyst for revitalization of the local and commercial area.
“Our Government is proud to invest in this important community project that will create jobs and strengthen the local economy,” said the Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport) and Member of Parliament for Charleswood - St. James - Assiniboia.  “This complex will provide access to grocery and other food services where there were none, as well as create good employment and training opportunities for the local community.”
“It’s encouraging to see locally driven projects like Neechi Food Co-Op become a reality,” said Minister of Children and Youth Opportunities Kevin Chief. “This is a wonderful example of the great things that can be accomplished through collaborative partnerships between government and local communities. The province will continue to provide funding support for exciting economic ventures like this.”
This community business complex will have a strong local development impact on Winnipeg’s Main Street and nearby neighbourhoods. It will promote regionally harvested and processed foods and cultivate strong cooperative relationships and community spirit.
“The infrastructure grants from the federal and provincial governments played a key role in the creation of Neechi Commons and helped to make years of work by members of the cooperative and other volunteers worthwhile,” noted the president of Neechi Foods Co-Op Ltd., Louise Champagne.
The governments of Canada and Manitoba each committed $1.3 million in funding under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund toward the eligible costs of this project. The Manitoba government provided an additional $1 million, while the Neechi Commons group provided the remainder of the funding. The total cost of the construction for the project was $6.8 million.
As part of the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund supported more than 4,000 infrastructure projects across the country. Together, the federal government and Province of Manitoba committed close to $280 million to 111 projects under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund across Manitoba.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
To learn more about Manitoba’s infrastructure projects, please visit www.infrastructure.mb.ca.

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Natural Resources

September 29, 2012

PROVINCE PARTNERS WITH MANITOBA METIS FEDERATION TO UPHOLD MéTIS HARVESTING RIGHTS, NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION

Based on rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada involving aboriginal rights for Métis people, the government of Manitoba is partnering with the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) to recognize Métis rights to harvest natural resources for food and domestic use in Manitoba, and to acknowledge the Métis peoples’ commitment to conserve and respect the resources that sustain those rights, Premier Greg Selinger and David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, announced today.
“In addition to recent jurisprudence, history makes it clear that Métis people have aboriginal harvesting rights in certain regions of Manitoba,” said Selinger.  “Through co-operation with the MMF, we have been able to attain a balance of recognizing those rights while ensuring an orderly approach to conservation and enforcement.  I commend the MMF on their commitment to meet the traditional responsibility to protect the wildlife, fish and other resources we all depend on.”
The agreement, signed today at the MMF’s 44th Annual General Assembly, provides for the recognition of Métis harvesting rights in mutually agreed to regions of the province, and relies on the MMF’s Metis Laws of the Hunt as the basis for the development of new provincial regulations to govern Métis harvesting.  As well, MMF Harvester Cards will be recognized as a means to identify Métis harvesters.
The agreement also commits to collaborative processes for examining Métis harvesting right claims in regions of the province outside of the designated Métis Natural Resource Harvesting Zone and for establishing a working group to monitor and address issues relating to Métis rights-based natural resource harvesting. 

“Based on many years of discussion and decisions from the courts, I am very proud to jointly announce this Métis Harvesting Agreement between the government of Manitoba and the Manitoba Métis,” said Chartrand.  “Our Métis laws and the provincial laws will now work together to improve resource management and sustainability.  I want to thank Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh for his dedication to getting to this historic moment.  With this agreement, the Selinger government is taking a leadership role within Canada on the recognition of the constitutional rights of the Métis people.”
“The conservation principles of the Métis Laws of the Hunt are similar to those for licensed hunters and anglers,” said Reid Woods, president, Manitoba Wildlife Federation.  “I commend the MMF for this responsible approach, and encourage other provinces to look to Manitoba for an exceptional model of dedication to sustainable use of natural resources.”
As part of the recognition of Métis harvesting rights, Métis people will continue to be required to follow safety and conservation regulations.  It is expected the regulations respecting Métis harvesting, based on today’s agreement, will be finalized later this fall.

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The government of Manitoba is distributing this release on behalf of the Province of Manitoba and the Manitoba Metis Federation.